Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1519563
and that's a different sort of fun, interesting way to make work. But to have an intrinsic higher purpose instilled in the making of a work makes it feel more important and motivates us as makers to do the absolute best that we can do because installing something at the Nasher, in my mind, feels almost holy. It would hold that place in my spirit. And it reflects the level of attention and the brainpower that we put towards this show. CA: On the challenges of bringing forth this epic exhibition. Simon: We made all our own challenges, because the Nasher has been so professional — one of the easiest institutions we've worked with, and so trusting in our vision. We wanted to build something really difficult to build … and it's proven to be super difficult. But we were able to do it, which is cool. For this show, we wanted to be on that edge: If you're doing something slightly outside of your ability, then you're probably making some of your better things. That was the point for us. CA: On the heroically scaled high points. Simon: There's The Strawberry Tree, in the middle of the gallery. We would never have been able to make this until now. We've been striving for it for a long time. It's made of beads and bronze and glass and stone, and it's on an intricate level of detail on a large scale. It's sort of a dream object. And the Nasher gave us the opportunity to make it. Niki: It's 15 by 18 by 21 feet. We built huge parts of it with antique Murano beads, 1/16 of an inch each. It's this massive scale with super, super high detail. I think it took 50 of us to build the thing over three years. We had to use some of the best bronze people we knew, the best stone carvers, and a community of women in Lost Hills, California, part of this farming community, to do the beadwork. It felt like important work because it was for a museum — and it was creating jobs. "B ut, really, the meat of our job is, in a sense, storytelling. It's about creating fantasy and space for somebody to dive into ..." Clockwise from top left: The Haas Brothers: Nikolai Haas, Simon Haas. Donut Enter, 2019. Cyberzoid 4, 2023. — Niki Haas CHARLES WHITE, COURTESY THE ARTIST AND JEFFREY DEITCH TIM HANS (Continued) IAN FLANIGAN 50